Thailand’s English proficiency deteriorates

The new edition of EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), a ranking compiled annually by Swedish education company EF Education First, revealed that English proficiency in Thailand is getting worse.

In the 2018 ranking, Thailand slipped to 68th place out of 88 countries, with an overall ranking of ‘low proficiency’ and is placed between Bangladesh and Ecuador. In 2017, Thailand ranked in 53rd place out of 80 countries.

Regionally, central Thailand, which includes Bangkok, was found to have best level of English proficiency, with an overall score of 49.57. Northeast Thailand was found to have the lowest level of English proficiency, scoring just 45.78, followed by the South and North.

From the Thai cities featured in the index, Bangkok ranked highest, whereas Khon Kaen was lowest, ranking behind Chiang Mai and Chonburi. Females have a slightly higher English proficiency than men in Thailand, the survey showed.

Regionally, Thailand ranks 16th out of 21 surveyed countries in Asia. Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand ranks clearly behind Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, while it fares better than Myanmar and Cambodia. Laos and Brunei have not been surveyed in this year’s ranking.

According to its website, the EF English Proficiency Index is increasingly cited as an authoritative source by journalists, educators, officials, and business leaders. The 2018 EF EPI is based on test data from more than 1,300,000 test takers around the world who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) in 2017.

The top five countries with the best non-native English proficiency are Sweden, Netherlands, Singapore, Norway and Denmark. At the bottom are Afghanistan, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Libya.

The new edition of EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), a ranking compiled annually by Swedish education company EF Education First, revealed that English proficiency in Thailand is getting worse.

In the 2018 ranking, Thailand slipped to 68th place out of 88 countries, with an overall ranking of ‘low proficiency’ and is placed between Bangladesh and Ecuador. In 2017, Thailand ranked in 53rd place out of 80 countries.

Regionally, central Thailand, which includes Bangkok, was found to have best level of English proficiency, with an overall score of 49.57. Northeast Thailand was found to have the lowest level of English proficiency, scoring just 45.78, followed by the South and North.

From the Thai cities featured in the index, Bangkok ranked highest, whereas Khon Kaen was lowest, ranking behind Chiang Mai and Chonburi. Females have a slightly higher English proficiency than men in Thailand, the survey showed.

Regionally, Thailand ranks 16th out of 21 surveyed countries in Asia. Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand ranks clearly behind Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, while it fares better than Myanmar and Cambodia. Laos and Brunei have not been surveyed in this year’s ranking.

According to its website, the EF English Proficiency Index is increasingly cited as an authoritative source by journalists, educators, officials, and business leaders. The 2018 EF EPI is based on test data from more than 1,300,000 test takers around the world who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) in 2017.

The top five countries with the best non-native English proficiency are Sweden, Netherlands, Singapore, Norway and Denmark. At the bottom are Afghanistan, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Libya.